Electrical lighting systems are configured to provide one or more light-emitting devices to achieve a practical effect and/or an aesthetic effect. Electrical lighting systems can enhance task performance, improve the appearance of an area, and/or have a positive psychological effect on people. Many decorative electrical lighting systems comprise a plurality of light sockets each having a light emitting device operatively mounted in each respective light socket, with the plurality of sockets connected together by electrical wires to form a string of lights, such as, for example, Christmas lights, Halloween lights, patio lights, or other decorative festive lights. It is particularly challenging to reliably attach and then detach such a string of decorative festive lights to, for example an environmental item, such as, for example, a tree, an ornamental shrub, an eavestrough, or the roof edge of a house or other structure. This task can be time consuming, uncomfortable and physically challenging. Moreover, it can be dangerous when carried out from a ladder, or other elevated platform, particularly in cold, wet, or icy environments.
To be acceptable for large scale domestic consumer use, such strings of decorative festive lights must remain relatively inexpensive to purchase, as compared to, for example, permanent commercial or residential lighting systems. Additionally, any clips, clamps, or other means used to mount strings of decorative festive lights to trees, buildings or other environmental items, as aforesaid, should preferably be quick and easy to install and uninstall, be reusable and robust, yet remain inexpensive to purchase. Most of the prior art clips, clamps, hooks, tabs or other means available to mount strings of decorative festive lights as aforesaid are not particularly robust or quick and easy to use. Some are not reusable. Others additionally require nails, tacks, staples, wires, and/or hand tools to install. This is particularly cumbersome and/or dangerous under the difficult conditions of installation referenced above. Moreover, many prior art mounting devices suitable for this purpose become easily detached from their respective light sockets in use, particularly during installation or de-installation, following which they may be easily lost or damaged. Once mounted, most do not provide for any significant or consistent degree of adjustment of the mounting angle of the light socket relative to the environmental item on which they are mounted. Given the lack of such adjustment and the lack of surface uniformity inherent to many of the environmental items on which they are typically mounted, a string of decorative festive lights installed according to the prior art often appear irregular and uneven from a distance, which result may be aesthetically unacceptable to some users. As such, prior art mounting means intended to facilitate such installations are unsatisfactory from numerous standpoints.
To obviate or mitigate at least one of these and possible other shortcomings associated with the prior art, there is provided according to the present invention an improved mounting apparatus for a light socket assembly.
According to one aspect of the present invention, such apparatus has an extension body connectable to the light socket assembly. The extension body defines a first arcuate surface extending form the extension body. The apparatus also includes a clamping assembly having a second arcuate surface formed to and extending from the clamping assembly. The first arcuate surface and the second arcuate surface are each contoured to conform to each other and to frictionally, pivotally contact each other. The first arcuate surface and the second arcuate surface frictionally, pivotally contact, at least in part, with each other with sufficient friction that the extension body and the clamping assembly are frictionally positionable and pivotally movable relative to each other. The first arcuate surface and the second arcuate surface are pivotally movable relative to each other in response to intentional repositioning of the extension body and the clamping assembly relative to each other.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the connection of the extension body to the light socket is selective. Optionally, but not essentially, such selective engagement may be achieved by the extension body having a sleeve portion defining an inner surface configured to selectively snap fit with an exterior side wall of the light socket assembly.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided an apparatus comprising a light-emitting device and a light socket assembly configured to operatively receive the light-emitting device. An extension body is connectable to the light socket assembly. The extension body defines a first arcuate surface being integrally formed with and extending from the extension body. A clamping assembly has a second arcuate surface that is formed with and extends from the clamping assembly. The first arcuate surface and the second arcuate surface are each contoured to conform with each other and to frictionally pivotally contact each other, at least in part, with sufficient friction that the extension body and the clamping assembly are frictionally positionable and pivotally movable relative to each other in response to intentional repositioning of the extension body and the clamping assembly relative to each other.
These and other aspects, non-limiting embodiments, advantages, features and characteristics of the present invention, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, the latter of which is briefly described hereinbelow.
The drawings are not necessarily to scale and may be illustrated by phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details unnecessary for an understanding of the embodiments (and/or details that render other details difficult to perceive) may have been omitted.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the various views. Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not been drawn to scale. The dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be emphasized relative to other elements for facilitating an understanding of the disclosed embodiments. In addition, common, but well-understood, elements that are useful or necessary in commercially feasible embodiments are often not depicted to provide a less obstructed view of the embodiments of the present disclosure.